Archived InformationThe National Education Goals Report - 1993Building a Nation of LearnersSeptember 1993Volume One: The National Report[This document includes the text for the Foreword, Introduction, andChapters 1 and 2 of the Report. The exhibits, appendices, and thetext for Chapters 3 and 4 are not included.]Foreword--------The National Education Goals remain at the forefront of the movementto build a nation of learners. In the past year, the Presidencychanged hands, as have over half the Governorships in the four yearssince the Education Summit in Charlottesville, Virginia. Thesechanges serve to underscore the continuity, bipartisanship, andlong-term nature of the National Goals process.Where vision and commitment count the most, however, is at thecommunity and neighborhood levels. Only through an enduringpartnership of families, educators, employers, and other dedicatedcitizens can America's learning enterprise--our local schools--betransformed to help all our children reach their full potential.Only then will we become a nation of lifelong learners. And onlythen can we be confident of meeting the competition in this globaleconomy, assuring a high quality of life, and preserving ourdemocratic system and ideals.This Report continues our commitment to let the American peopleknow the results we are getting in education. We strive to presentthe facts plainly, this year in two volumes: Volume 1 describesour educational standing as a nation, while Volume 2 profilesperformance in the individual states. We also offer a vision ofhow high standards can help mobilize grass-roots partnerships andmove the United States toward quality education. And continue tomove forward we must--at an accelerated pace--in order to attainthe Goals by the year 2000.Over the past year, the National Education Goals Panel has workedhard to bring the Goals and the vision of high-performance learningfor all to this nation's communities. The theme for this thirdannual Report, "Setting Standards, Becoming the Best," highlightsthat outreach and partnership effort. Along with state and localgoals, vision documents, and progress reports, we hope this Reportwill become a tool for continuous improvement.Sincerely,E. Benjamin Nelson, Chair(August 1992 - August 1993)National Education Goals Panel, andGovernor of NebraskaGovernors

Goal 1: By the year 2000, all children in America will start schoolready to learn.Objectives:- All disadvantaged and disabled children will have access to highquality and developmentally appropriate preschool programs thathelp prepare children for school.- Every parent in America will be a child's first teacher anddevote time each day helping his or her preschool child learn;parents will have access to the training and support they need.- Children will receive the nutrition and health care needed toarrive at school with healthy minds and bodies, and the number oflow-birthweight babies will be significantly reduced throughenhanced prenatal health systems.Goal 2: By the year 2000, the high school graduation rate willincrease to at least 90 percent.Objectives:- The nation must dramatically reduce its dropout rate, and 75percent of those students who do drop out will successfullycomplete a high school degree or its equivalent.- The gap in high school graduation rates between American studentsfrom minority backgrounds and their non-minority counterparts willbe eliminated.Goal 3: By the year 2000, American students will leave grades four,eight, and twelve having demonstrated competency in challengingsubject matter, including English, mathematics, science, history,and geography; and every school in America will ensure that allstudents learn to use their minds well, so they may be prepared forresponsible citizenship, further learning, and productiveemployment in our modern economy.Objectives:- The academic performance of elementary and secondary studentswill increase significantly in every quartile, and the distributionof minority students in each level will more closely reflect thestudent population as a whole.- The percentage of students who demonstrate the ability to reason,solve problems, apply knowledge, and write and communicateeffectively will increase substantially.- All students will be involved in activities that promote anddemonstrate good citizenship, community service, and personalresponsibility.- The percentage of students who are competent in more than onelanguage will substantially increase.